It has lethal capabilities and weighs about 100,000 tons.. Washington deploys the latest aircraft carrier that can sail 20 years without refueling.

The newest aircraft carrier of the US Navy has sailed on its first mission, despite the problems encountered in putting it into service earlier due to the advanced technologies in which it operates.

And the aircraft carrier "USS Gerald R. Ford", which cost more than 13 billion dollars to build, will, in its first mission, conduct joint exercises with several countries, including Canada, France and Germany, including training in air defense and anti-submarine warfare and amphibious operations.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the 11th aircraft carrier in the US fleet and the first of a new generation of nuclear-powered ships, capable of sailing for 20 years without the need to refuel, and was described by President Donald Trump as "a message to the world weighing 100,000 tons." ".

A live broadcast on the US Navy's Facebook account showed boats pulling the carrier away from the pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

"Lethal" abilities

In a statement before the carrier sailed, Rear Admiral Daryl Cuddle said its deployment "will demonstrate its unrivaled, multiple, all-encompassing lethal capabilities in the Atlantic."

The US Navy indicated that 9 thousand people, 20 ships and 60 aircraft from 9 different countries will participate in the first deployment of the carrier, which is more than 335 meters long and reaches a speed of more than 54 kilometers per hour, despite its weight of more than 100,000 tons. .

A crew of 4,460 people operates the carrier, propelled by two nuclear engines.

It is the first in a new class of US aircraft carriers, containing nuclear weapons.

Named after the 38th US President, the carrier requires hundreds of fewer crew members to operate than older carriers, and is designed to be able to carry future weapons still in development.

Construction of the USS Gerald R. Ford officially began in November 2009, the first Ford-class aircraft carrier.

One of the major improvements to this carrier was an increase in the rate of aircraft taking off and landing, but problems with its operating systems, according to a June 2022 report submitted to Congress.

The carrier's weapons elevators, which transport missiles and bombs from its stores to its surface for loading on board aircraft, also suffered from some problems, and its deployment was postponed the first time until all the defects were fixed.